Eight personnel of Pak Coast Guard killed in attack

Eight Pakistani Coast Guard personnel were on Saturday killed and two others injured after gunmen stormed a security check post near the port city of Gwadar in the country's southhwest, officials said.

Eight Pakistani Coast Guard personnel were on Saturday killed and two others injured after gunmen stormed a security check post near the port city of Gwadar in the country's southhwest, officials said.

The gunmen fired several rockets at the check post in Peshi Kan, 35 kms from Gawadar in the insurgency-hit provinceof Balochistan, and then fired at the personnel with automatic weapons, officials of the Coast Guards told the media.

Six Coast Guards personnel were killed instantly while two more died later in hospital. The attackers, believed to be about a dozen, escaped on motorcycles and a pick-up truck.

Soon after the attack, security forces cordoned off the spot and launched a search operation. No group claimedresponsibility for the attack.

Balochistan has witnessed numerous attacks on security forces by Baloch national groups that are waging a violentcampaign for greater autonomy and a share of profits from the natural resources of the region.

The province has also been wracked by widespread ethnic and sectarian violence, especially attacks on the minorityHazara Shia community.